One of the blessings of the Reformation was the restoration of congregational singing. No longer would worship be the domain of the priest and the professional musician. In accordance with Scripture, worship was restored as the duty and privilege of all the people of God. In Christ, the people are a royal priesthood.

Christ fulfilled the priestly work of substitutionary sacrifice. But another kind of sacrifice belongs in Christian worship. The writer of Hebrews instructs us to “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God” (Heb. 13:15). This sacrifice of praise reaches its highest expression, not in the polished music of the soloist or in the contemporary beat of a praise band, but in the singing of the congregation. Therefore, in our worship we should pursue excellence in congregational singing, just as we should pursue excellence in all aspects of worship. Read more

So, they found out you had a couple of years of piano lessons when you were a kid, and now you’ve been recruited to fill in at the piano or keyboard in an emergency. If you don’t, they say, the hymns will just have to be sung—gasp—a cappella. Well anyway, that’s what happened to me. Now, a few decades later, I’ve jotted down some helpful hints that I’ve learned the hard way.

Remember that you are playing because there is no one out there who can do it as well as you can. Read more

Since 1961, congregations in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church have sung praise to God out of Trinity Hymnal (original and revised editions). Before Trinity Hymnal was issued, Orthodox Presbyterian congregations sang primarily out of the 1911 Presbyterian hymnal.

This was in contrast to the vast majority of Presbyterians, who had replaced the 1911 Presbyterian hymnal with the 1933 Presbyterian hymnal. Orthodox Presbyterians refused to switch to the 1933 hymnal because of its liberal tendencies. Read more